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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Trump says he's ordered Navy to destroy Iranian boats should they harass U.S. ships
2020-04-22
[10 News] President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday morning that he's instructed the Navy to "shoot down and destroy" Iranian gunboats should they harass U.S. ships.

Trump's tweet came hours after multiple media outlets reported that Iran had launched its first military satellite.

Posted by:Frank G

#38  ^Just click the second link.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2020-04-22 15:07  

#37  /\ I can dig that.

USS Vincennes - Horrible tragedy. I believe the US paid restitution for that (FWIW).
Posted by: Clem   2020-04-22 15:05  

#36  Nonetheless we should dial it back with Russia and find common cause with them against China.
Posted by: Lex   2020-04-22 15:02  

#35  #34 Iran Air Flight 655
USS Vincennes mistaken Airbus A300 for F-14.

List of airliner shootdown incidents

Please note "1973 Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114" in the ibid
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2020-04-22 14:52  

#34  KAL 007 did pop into my mind. I also seem to recall some strange occurrences with the KAL flight being either off course or did not identify itself...can't remember. But, still, kind of hard to not recognize a civilian aircraft. That Congressman, wasn't he on some mission? A member of the John Birch Society?
Posted by: Clem   2020-04-22 14:36  

#33  ^Lets start a war with Russia - make Xi happy.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2020-04-22 14:33  

#32  So that's it for combat losses - what about civilian planes shot down by Russia - like the one over Sakalin island with a US Congressman aboard? And the Dutch airliner in the Ukraine - Russia way ahead in that category.
Posted by: Mercutio   2020-04-22 14:29  

#31  Wow, thx 3dc
Posted by: Lex   2020-04-22 14:01  

#30  and post WW-II air to air combat losses by all
here
Posted by: 3dc   2020-04-22 13:59  

#29  IMO the Iranian know Trump is not fooling around like Obama with his red lines that were never enforced.
Posted by: JohnQC   2020-04-22 13:52  

#28   Air combat losses betwen the USSR and USA
Posted by: 3dc   2020-04-22 13:51  

#27  Now that you mention it... [runs of to store room]

[rushes back, satisfied]

Two and a half bottles of Absolut, one of JD, and an old fancy thingy half full of absinthe. And rum. Some dregs of local rum too. Naah, I'll be fine. I think.
Posted by: Dron66046   2020-04-22 13:48  

#26  Bevmo has takeout and delivery. Just saying

Mr. Jameson's visited yesterday
Posted by: Frank G   2020-04-22 13:29  

#25  The same goes for whiskey.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2020-04-22 13:18  

#24  That's on you, Dron. Popcorn is cheap and easy to store for long periods. You should always have a good supply of it on hand.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2020-04-22 13:17  

#23  But I'm all out of popcorn and I can't go shopping !
Posted by: Dron66046   2020-04-22 13:04  

#22  Frank G's comment at #11 is the key point here. These people are nuts enough to send suicide boats into a US Navy ship and we can't take a chance on that. Russians and Chinese aren't that crazy.

As for the survivors, Iranians might want to discover what it's like for their people to be held hostage.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2020-04-22 12:27  

#21  The Iranian boats could contain high explosives. IIRC the speed boat that attacked the USS Cole may have had the explosives arranged in an equivalent of a shape charge.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2020-04-22 12:25  

#20  They just did this week, closing to within 10's of yards. Now that he's laid it out, they'll have to edge up to show they aren't cowards who can be intimidated. Some will have to die for the Ayatollah's PR
Posted by: Frank G   2020-04-22 12:15  

#19  And 99.9% of it is just Trump talking tough. I don't think Iran is dumb enough to poke any hornet's nest, at least via 'traditional' military methods.
Posted by: Clem   2020-04-22 12:08  

#18  . But why is harassment from one military foe different from another? China, too

You know why. It's swatting a fly with Iran. War with China and/or Russia, not so much. Should we treat Cuba the same as Russia? They're both Commies antagonistic to us? The answer is no.

We have the ability to make judgements. This isn't a teacher relying on zero tolerance to expel a kid who makes a paper gun cutout to color the same as a kid who kills another student
Posted by: Frank G   2020-04-22 12:06  

#17  Fair enough. I see your point, Clem
Posted by: Lex   2020-04-22 11:57  

#16  I can remember Major Nicholson getting murdered in Potsdam in the 1980's. O.k., that's one.

Yes, I get #13 & #14's point, though. But why is harassment from one military foe different from another? China, too.
Posted by: Clem   2020-04-22 11:54  

#15  So?
Posted by: Clem   2020-04-22 11:52  

#14  Russians haven't killed a single American in, well, forever.
IRGC otoh...
Posted by: Lex   2020-04-22 11:52  

#13  I don't recall Russian Officials leading "Death to America" chants?
Posted by: Frank G   2020-04-22 11:49  

#12  So, we should also shoot down Russian fighter jets that come close to our planes patrolling the Med?
Posted by: Clem   2020-04-22 11:43  

#11  True but we don't want another USS Cole. Don't let em get within 100 yds
Posted by: Frank G   2020-04-22 11:36  

#10  They don't have to shoot to sink the boats. A simple "Hard right rudder" at the right time would do it. That would turn the situation into a simple collision. A 9200 ton destroyer would barely feel a collision with an Iranian patrol boat.

Just as JFK and PT109
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia   2020-04-22 11:32  

#9  Game of drones: Iran buys three pilotless bombers with 932-mile range three months after US airstrike killed General Soleimani in Baghdad
Posted by: Skidmark   2020-04-22 11:10  

#8  Is harassing ships an act of war?
Posted by: Clem   2020-04-22 11:10  

#7  ^ #6: yah. Silkworm et al. Soon to be smoking rubble after the first batch lights off.
Posted by: Mercutio   2020-04-22 10:54  

#6  Lots of Chinese designed, Iranian operated anti-ship missiles on the northern shore. All ships will be vulnerable once the shooting starts.
Posted by: Gromolet Craiting5425   2020-04-22 09:40  

#5  If the boats are hosed by CIWS there will be no survivors.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2020-04-22 09:29  

#4  We begin shooting in five minutes.
Posted by: Raj   2020-04-22 09:22  

#3  This shoot them policy is to protect sailors from the virus.
Posted by: lord garth   2020-04-22 09:19  

#2  Let's be smart about it and NOT pick up any survivors.
Posted by: Besoeker   2020-04-22 09:14  

#1  Good.
Posted by: DarthVader   2020-04-22 09:12  

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